This unit is located south of Lander, known as the South Pass, on the south end of the Shoshone National Forest. This is some beautiful country in this area. There is a ton of public land in this unit, with about half of the unit holding black bears. There are also grizzlies in this unit, so hunters should keep this in mind as they are hiking and hunting.

With a good average bear harvest and 75% public land, this unit should not be overlooked.

This unit is almost split 50/50 into National Forest land and sagebrush prairies. The prairies in this unit are located at higher elevations and are not flat like most of Wyoming’s prairies. The mountain will have thick timber slopes, open meadows, and wide open, rugged alpine mountain tops. The further northwest you travel in this unit, the steeper and more rugged this country gets.

Wilderness

Under Wyoming law nonresidents are not permitted to hunt big game or trophy game in any federally designated wilderness areas without the presence of a licensed guide or resident companion. The resident companion must first get a free non-commercial guide license from a Game and Fish office. The law does not prohibit nonresidents from hiking, fishing or hunting game birds, small game, or coyotes in wilderness areas.

Prairies, in the lower elevations, are covered in sagebrush, while lodgepole pines cover the mountains. The more elevation you gain in this unit, the more alpine vegetation you will see.

With half of this unit consisting of National Forest land, the public access here is great. There is, however, a Wilderness Area on the northeastern portion of this unit. Nonresidents need to be mindful of this because they will need a guide in order to hunt in a Wilderness Area. There is plenty of good accessible land that holds bears without going into the Wilderness Area, though. There are many access points in the southern portion of the unit. There is access to the mountain on the northern portion, out of Lander on Shoshone Lake Rd, and Rd 131.

There are multiple hotels, grocery stores, and a sporting goods store in the town of Lander. There are over a dozen established campgrounds and a small lodge on the mountain. Most of the campgrounds are located on Road 131. Keep in mind that there are many places to camp in the National Forest area.